The present invention relates generally to the field of garments with attachment systems. More particularly, the invention pertains to an improved adjustable attachment system for maintaining a garment in position on a wearer.
The present invention is intended for use with a wide variety of garments that utilize an attachment system. Such garments may include disposable absorbent articles, bathing suits, athletic supporters, prosthetics, or other personal care or health care garments. With particular reference to disposable absorbent articles, these articles include such things as incontinence garments, disposable diapers, briefs, training pants, or the like. Disposable articles for the absorption and containment of urine and other body exudates are generally unitary, preshaped or prefolded, and are comprised of a fluid pervious bodyside liner, a fluid impervious backing sheet, and an absorbent material disposed between the bodyside liner and the backing sheet. They generally include some type of attachment system for securing the garment to the body of the wearer.
The types of attachment systems used on disposable absorbent articles has varied widely. In some systems, the front and back waist sections are directly attached to one another with a fastener. A number of different fasteners have been employed, such as tape members as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,649 to Pazdernik; complementary hook-and-loop type fasteners as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,690 to Redfern; and snap fasteners as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,566,139 to Ostrovsky et al. In other attachment systems, the front and back waist sections are connected via a strap or belt. For example, the garment suspension system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,508 to Bolick includes two elastic straps that are provided with buttons or other fastening means. The garment described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,022 to Pigneul et al. includes a removable belt that may be attached to the garment with hook-and-loop type fasteners.
In order to effectively absorb and contain urine and other body exudates, disposable absorbent articles must properly fit the body of the wearer. Due to cost constraints, garment manufacturers have not produced absorbent articles in an infinite number of sizes. Instead, garment manufactures have designed absorbent articles that are adjustable. In existing disposable absorbent garments, adjustability has been accomplished by providing a range of locations over which the front and back waist sections can be oriented relative to one another. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,326 to Gilles, for instance, a diaper is disclosed which has straps that include hook members at the ends of the straps. The hook members attach to a loop member, which extends across the entire back waist section of the diaper. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,298 to Sorenson et al. utilizes a hook-and-loop fastener with a loop strip extending across the front of the diaper, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,508 to Bolick discloses elastic straps with buttons that may be secured within any one of a series of button holes. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,516,951 to Brink; 2,564,094 to Brandl; 2,566,139 to Ostrovsky et al.
One significant drawback associated with the foregoing type of adjustable garments is that the proper adjustment is not maintained if the attachment system is released and subsequently refastened. This drawback is particularly significant with regard to attachment systems, such as straps or belts, that are intended to be used repeatedly. By way of illustration, incontinence products are presently distributed in packages containing multiple, identical absorbent shells along with a lesser number of attachment straps. Thus, a single attachment strap is intended to be used with a number of absorbent shells. Present attachment systems provide no mechanism whereby an attachment strap may be adjusted for one absorbent shell and transferred to another, identical shell while maintaining the proper adjustment for the wearer.
Another drawback associated with present attachment systems arises from the fact that reusable attachment straps are subject to a large number of attach-detach cycles. For hook-and-loop attachment systems, this has meant that the less durable loop material could not be used on the reusable strap, or that the strap would tend to wear rapidly and fail during repeated use.